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Magnuson Act

Definition

Also known as the Chinese Exclusion Repeal Act of 1943, this U.S. legislation allowed Chinese immigrants into America for the first time since the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and gave some Chinese immigrants already residing in the country the ability to become naturalized citizens.

Analogy

Imagine you've been banned from your favorite pizza place because they thought you ate too much pizza. Then one day, they decide to lift that ban and allow you back in - but there's a catch; you can only have one slice per visit. That's kind of what happened with Magnuson Act; it lifted previous restrictions but still imposed new ones.

Related terms

Chinese Exclusion Act: An American law signed by President Chester A. Arthur on May 6, 1882, prohibiting all immigration of Chinese laborers.

Naturalization Act: An act passed by United States Congress on March 26, 1790 providing any free white person of good character, who had been living in the United States for two years or longer, to apply for citizenship.

Immigration Act of 1924: A United States federal law that limited the annual number of immigrants who could be admitted from any country to 2% of the number of people from that country who were already living in the United States as of the 1890 census.